Thursday, January 24, 2008

"Looking good Lewis!" (Trading Places)

Kristian stumbled across the Canon 1200mm lens on B&H used list. Trying to figure out what it would be used for, we came across this gem. Hilarous.

Friday, January 18, 2008

"Who are you?" (Batman)

Which is worse:

Spending time analyzing methods, arriving at expected results, possible delays, likely changes on-the-fly, expense of project, and creating processes to achieve your expected result.

OR

Getting an idea on what you want and charging forward, thinking of everything as you go, solving issues as they arrive, and achieving the same result.

The result: Failure.

I categorize myself in the former category rather than the latter. Analytical by nature, I want to make sure I have the solutions ready if a problem arises. Therefore, I am leery of embarking on a project because if it fails, then I have to start all over, and my previous effort is wasted.

And effort = time, which is something you can't make more of. I can "justify" not doing anything because I am being effective with my time, not frivolously wasting it on failures.

But what is failing? And depending on the definition, why is it so bad to fail? Thomas Edision failed. Donald Trump failed. Bill Gates failed. Everyone fails.

Failure needs to be defined differently. It's not always a negative.

Failure: A result that was not expected, whether it was from learning (decision making), different expectations (communication), available knowledge base (data or assumptions), or availability of resources (right tool, right job).

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

"I hope you guys have hobo-stab insurance." (Accepted)

I have a simple philosophy. A person can be smart, but people are dumb. My supporting evidence can be seen everyday. Here are some examples on how a person can be smart, but people are dumb:
1. Elections. A few years ago local "reformist" Tim Eyman pushed the car-tab tax, which also was paired with voter-approved tax changes (paraphrased). Unfortunately, two items can't be on the same bill like Eyman proposed. It passed by vote, but declared unconstitutional. A smart person would read the bill and say, "Hey, why do I need to vote on all the tax changes? Isn't that why we vote representatives and senators? Won't this ADD more cost if we have to vote everytime there is a .0001 cent increase?"
And let's not forget that Al Gore won the popular vote, but lost the election. And it took 1 out of 3 times to elect Washington "Governor" Gregiore.

2. Traffic. A person can drive easily and merge onto freeways without incident. However, when there are people about, traffic comes to a grinding halt. In the NW it is a place that has four seasons, yet many drivers here can't even drive right in one of them. Snow, rain, whatever, people drive over their heads, beyond vehicle capabilities, and in some cases, way, way, way, below capabilities (these are the 15mph drivers on the freeway).

I think overall it is a breakdown in a person's responsibility to take control of the decision-making process in life that creates a group "idiocity" unable to perform to the level of what is possible. Sports teams constantly disprove this, with lesser talent teams being far better than higher-talent teams. Think about win-win, not just a win for a person. Make decisions that are intelligent all the time, not when they are convenient.

I read a slogan for a company (I forget which one) and it was this:

Think Smarter.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Straight Rambling Thoughts

1. Who is in charge in La-La land (Hollywood) when a steaming pile of dung is made, and some odd reason, released, only to become known as the failure it is at the box office. For said pile of dung, I point you here: Blonde Ambition

2. America needs serious tort reform. When some lazy 40-year old and his buddies are so ingrained in interacting all by their lonesome over the holiday season rather than watching "A Christmas Story" or reading something carbon-based, they feel slighted, wronged, transgressed to the point of filing a $5 million lawsuit against Microsoft because XBOX Live was down a little bit. Hint: Maybe the uber geeks of MS were telling you something- GET OUT OF YOUR MOM'S BASEMENT!

3. In Washington State, we are officially tech-tied. We can be ticketed if using our cell phones while driving and committing an infraction or accident. I don't blame the lawmakers on this one. I think it's good. But when will we have a law passed that tickets people who have trouble operating a motor vehicle when operating a motor vehicle?

4. An odd conversation popped up about our current political progress. One topic was the so-called $10,000/month Secret Service rent Bill Clinton is charging the US government (which I am lacking confirmation on that). So I had a crafty way of dealing with saving the government untold monies associated with Presidential pensions, Secret Service detail, and all the related administrative costs associated with keeping "safe" a person who holds many a secrets.

5. What is a Triscuit? I came up with the combreviation of "triage" and "biscuit" because a triscuit looks like a wheat-woven gauze bandage. So if anyone has some accidents this year during the "Big Game" (NFL prohibits the use of Super Bowl title as a basis of copyright infringement in one of the most ludicrous methods of watering down the grassroots appeal of a major sporting event), don't leave the game: just strap a salty triscuit to your wound, and bind it with some long licorice. Never leave the game.